Gallery: The Nasty Bits Retrospective: 12 Ways to Eat Offal

Boiling Bones

Frankenstein's Frog

Stir-fried frogs, anyone? What's a little muscular twitch every now and then? More on frog legs »

Testicles

Lascivious and delicious. They're known as Rocky Mountain oysters, but in terms of texture and taste, they're more of a poor man's scallop. Just in time for summertime grilling! More testicles »

Turkey Confit

Confiting animals parts in olive oil is a good way to go. You don't have to go through the trouble of rendering animal fat, and you can reuse the oil for subsequent batches of confiting, or for sautéing and roasting anything else. More on turkey confit »

Lamb Ribs

This was one of the best bites of food I've had in 2012 so far. Lamb ribs can be a difficult cut to track down, so snatch them up while you can. I can get my lamb ribs at a halal butcher or the greenmarket. Get the recipe »

Very Crispy Tongue

One of my favorite new ways to eat tongue. The tongue is just very, very crispy and good this way, and the interior is all the more fatty and tender by contrast. Get the recipe »

Pork Cheeks

I'm still mourning the end of pork cheek season. Keep your eyes peeled at the butcher for these perfect parcels of tender yet lean meat. Get the recipe »

Turkey Gizzards

Around Thanksgiving, you may be able to scrounge up more than just a few turkey gizzards, in which case you can confit them, red braise them, or simmer and deep-fry them. To me, gizzards are such a likeable organ. They're not fatty, boney, or bloody; just a hardworking muscle that stews to fork-tender goodness. More on turkey gizzards »

Pig's Foot

There's a simple but important message in this post, which is: Keep trotters around in your fridge or freezer! More on the trotter »

Cod Milt

What can I say? Sex sells. What exactly is milt, you wonder? Read on »

Deep-Fried Pig's Ears

This is the only salty finger-food snack better than popcorn and potato chips. You can vary the spice blend for sprinkling on the deep-fried ears: smoked paprika and cayenne, Old Bay, or toasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns, just to name a few. Not to mention the array of sauces and oils you could toss with the ears: fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil. Get the recipe »

Lamb's Neck Stew with Rosemary and Lemon

We end where we first began. This was the very first Nasty Bits post (!). I feel really sheepish re-reading this. I was not two years out of college at that point and all hopped up on Marx, and maybe I was going for some kind of offal lover's manifesto. I dunno. But boy am I enthusiastic about offal! Though I haven't made this dish in years, if someone were to ask me for a go-to lamb dish, this would be it. Lemon and white wine, tender lamb, thyme or rosemary. Can't go wrong with the classics. Get the recipe »

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